The EVArything Bagel Chronicle: Tilly Bagel Shop

Welcome back to “The EVArything Bagel Chronicle,” where I embark on a relentless pursuit to find out if Chicago can actually bake up a bagel that satisfies a homesick New Jerseyan.

This week, my Tri-State interrogation standards landed on Tilly Bagel Shop in Lakeview, a Chicagoland chain known for their wide variety of flavors — from cacio e pepe and tomato grilled cheese hand-rolled sourdough bagels to housemade schmears like caramelized onion and honey vanilla. 

Going in, I was tempted to try out one of these rare flavor combinations, but as a writer dedicated to my craft, I stuck with the baseline everything bagel with cream cheese. I’m considering each bagel with five firm metrics locked and loaded — crust, seasoning, cream cheese, size and shape and texture. 

Here’s how Tilly Bagel Shop’s standard everything bagel with cream cheese stacked up against the Jersey bar.

The Crust

Tilly hits the mark perfectly here — the blistering crust delivered a nice crisp bite that held up its end of the bargain against the weight of the dough. I reward it 1 out of 1 point.

The Seasoning

Tilly took a slight creative detour by adding a sprinkle of fennel and dill to their seasoning blend. While additions to the standard recipe can be risky, these herbs added a surprisingly pleasant, aromatic flavor, but then again, I’m not rewarding points for creativity — only for mastering the classic everything bagel seasoning. 

That being said, the ratio was out of sync — it leaned heavily on sesame seeds, but fell significantly short on salt and depth in the garlic and onion flavor profile. Just a little bit more of these flavors could have taken this bagel a long way. 

I would’ve given Tilly zero points for this category since it flawed its execution of the seasoning’s classic core elements and had to rely on deviations for flavor, but the fact that the bagel came doused in seasoning on both sides has got to count for something. For seasoning, Tilly earns itself .25 out of 1 point.

The Cream Cheese

The flavor profile of the schmear itself was very pleasant. It had a tangy, refreshing dairy taste without leaning sweet or sour. However, execution fell short of the edge-to-edge mandate. A proper bagel demands total, unsparing coverage, but Tilly missed that mark. The cream cheese was far too thin toward the perimeter, leaving me rationing the schmear with every bite. Tilly receives a .5 out of 1 point for cream cheese.

The Size and Shape

The proportions at Tilly are right on the money. They avoid the trap of baking mega-sized, over-proofed dough balls that close up the center hole or, conversely, emaciated, flat rings that probably weigh about a single gram. The Tilly bagel sits neatly in the hand with clean form, looking and feeling like a real craft bagel rather than an inflated, round bread loaf. Tilly earns 1 out 1 point for size and shape.

The Texture

Like its seasoning, Tilly’s texture is what makes it stand out. The Tilly bagel achieves a controversial interior — a fluffy, lighter crumb with large, open air pockets running throughout the dough. This bagel doesn’t offer quite the same quintessential density and heavy lattice of a traditional bagel, making its texture border on a loaf of sourdough bread despite still offering a nice chew. While I thoroughly enjoyed this, I know most Tri-State bagel enthusiasts would shame me for awarding a full point, so I give .75 out of 1 point to Tilly for texture.

The Verdict

Tallying up the points, Tilly Bagel Shop earned a 3.5 out of 5 points. This shop turns in a solid effort, backed by great baking technique and an intriguing herbal twist on a standard classic. It isn’t your classic bagel, but perhaps it isn’t trying to be. 

Though my rating may give way to disappointment, it’s worth noting that this visit was more than enough to put Tilly on my radar, and I’ll definitely be stopping by whenever I’m in Lakeview to test out their more unique menu offerings — just not when I’m searching for that nostalgic, New Jersey-style bagel.

To check out Tilly Bagel Shop for yourself, pop into their Lakeview location at 3162 N. Broadway, Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m to 2 p.m. and on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (and remember to stop by early before they sell out!).